Intoxicants in potatoes

23 January 2011 12:21 pm

Customs seized two containers that contained nicotine, tobacco, beedi, chemical dust and various intoxicants worth around Rs. 8 million today inside the Colombo port.  

These items were seized in two containers which earlier believed to be packed with potatoes. The items were discovered in one of two containers of potatoes that had arrived from India.

They had been imported by a private company in Colombo that imports goods and various dry rations.

The Special Tasks and Investigations Division who were conducting a routine checkup got a tip off from public about the illegally imported items that were stocked in two containers and immediately recovered the items.

Two suspects were taken into custody yesterday by the customs officers in regard to the incident. The Customs officers are currently investigating into the incident to arrest the associates of the suspects.

The largest haul of heroin of 55 Kilograms was also found concealed inside fake potatoes stored in a container full of potatoes imported from Pakistan seized in the Colombo port last December by the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) assisted by customs. (Supun Dias)